Team Penske returned to victory lane and championship contention because of Gil de Ferran.
His career goes beyond just his five years racing with Roger Penske, but the correlation between his time as a driver and the team’s return to prominence in early 2000’s is no coincidence.
De Ferran’s career was short in the major open-wheel series in America, from 1995 to 2003, but he left his mark and accomplished a lot that put him above many drivers considered greater than him. Even after his career behind the wheel ended, he was never truly gone. The smiling, soft-spoken Brazilian was a friend to so many in the paddock and a wise sage as he was a constant advisor or liaison to teams through the last two decades. His short stint as an owner in IndyCar was probably not as fulfilling as he wanted, but not every former IndyCar winner made it stick. Just ask Bryan Herta, Eddie Cheever and Jimmy Vasser.
Still, he was respected highly enough that he was sought after to represent IndyCar owners’ interests in the committee that reviewed and developed what became the Dallara DW12 chassis which is still used in the series. Other activities included managing the BAR-Honda Formula 1 team, in a time when the manufacturer was not as dominant as they have been in recent years. There were no wins and he left after a disappointing two years in the heavily political F1 world. Even that lack of success wasn’t a detriment as he made two more forays into the series he never drove in to serve in advisory capacities.
To many American racing fans though, de Ferran’s impact was in the IndyCar racing world.
CART
The quiet and humble Brazilian landed in the then-PPG IndyCar championship in 1995, driving for Jim Hall’s Pennzoil Reynard, which hadn’t visited victory lane since John Andretti was behind the wheel in 1991. Surprisingly, the unknown rookie, without any previous Toyota Atlantic or Indy Lights experience, showed he belonged in his first year. At Cleveland’s Burke Lakefront Airport circuit, he notched his first pole and led 67 laps. However, while being hounded by the savvy Michael Andretti, he crashed while hastily lapping Scott Pruett.
That disappointing result didn’t cause a hangover, because he found the winner’s circle just five races later at the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
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